Fresh Air, CBC May 9, 2020: COVID-19 and the real back story
“Well, the government assigned 140 paralyzed patients to my hospital. I scoured the hospital and found 80 ventilators. I found another 20 in the animal labs. What am I going to do with 40 awake but paralyzed people?” “I am going to design a way for you to ventilate all 140 patients with what you have.” “Thank you Dr. Fisher. Good by.” And he hung up the phone without waiting for me say good by.
Worms Part II: Snakes in the grass
The hospital approached me and offered to have their lawyers defend me. Good on them for trying but I already knew about this trick: The hospital lawyers defend the hospital and don’t give a damn about the residents and interns. They come and go. Their best fallback position (or even an opening position!) is for the hospital is to admit the resident screwed up. The CMPA pays and they are off the hook.
Worms: Part I—worm in the throat
The Intern was typically way out of his depth, knowing little about these conditions, having never seen them, much less saw them managed. So was I, by the way. My staff was at home sleeping. If I called them, their advice would be suspect as they were remote, didn’t know the patient, and it would have been years and years since they handled things like this. At the end of the day, I was on the spot, I was responsible and therefore I took charge.
Christmas, Scott Mission for the homeless, and my dad
Further north, as we approach College Street I see a tall man wearing a long black coat, shiny black shoes, and a black shirt with a black collar that is cut away to show a white strip of cloth in front. He is bare-headed despite the nip in the air. He is standing close to a lamp post and a sandwich board with white writing and a white cross on black background.
“Hello sir, where are you from?” he says to my dad as we pass by.
No: this is my patient. Part II: My Hercule Poirot moment
I was pissed that he would write that on an official medical document. I stood up, ripped off my gloves and ran into the nursing station where Dr. Simoo was sitting.
No: this is my patient. Part 1: The gathering storm
: “Can you tell us why we should not withdraw your hospital privileges effective immediately?” A withdrawal of privileges for cause would effectively end my career as a doctor. I was totally blindsided by this. There was no hint of this when I was told I should meet with Mrs. Hunter.
Father's Day Part III: A tale of two fathers
In keeping with the father theme of this blog series, a few words about Kuba. In 1941 Kuba had a wife and young son and was living in the city of Tarnopol, in what was then in Poland. As part of the then secret Molotov-Ribbentrop non-aggression agreement between Hitler and Stalin, Russia invaded and gobbled up Eastern Poland on September 17, 1939 about 2 weeks after Hitler invaded the western part of Poland. Kuba was soon arrested in a sweep by the Russian police and charged with being a capitalist.
My Madame Defarge moment (Paris, 1953)
Everywhere there were comic books, advertisements, posters with men with pony tails, the sans culotte, with their tricolor hats and muskets, women wearing pinafores on their dresses and revolutionary hats and headbands on their heads…and Guillotines.
Father's Day, past: Part II (of III), The mountains as the busom
…there was an additional aspect that was highly significant for me. Re-bonding with my father. This is a bit hard to explain but I will try by the end of Part III.
Father's Day, past now and future: Part I (of III), The REAL Santa
Like in Paul Simon’s song, ‘I found myself driving down the highway with the child of my first marriage’.
What to do with this child?
Its about 10:00 p.m., I am about to wash up and go to bed. The phone rings.
Carbon monoxide story 1.5: Human Ethics
The argument ran along these lines: Humans expose themselves to CO frequently. For example, smoking tobacco, and driving a car.
Carbon monoxide story: 1.4 Flashback Toronto 1984
“Joe…mummy…is not feeling…well…”
The carbon monoxide story, continued. Part 1.3
“So you showed it in dogs. How are you going to show that it can be done in humans?”
The carbon monoxide story. Part 1.2
Ludwik: “Its not good enough”
“Why not?”
“Its an n of one”
The carbon monoxide story. Part 1.1
“Sorry Joe, I don’t think that will work at all.”
A heart wrenching lesson. Conclusion. Part 3 of 3.
“No cancer.” I kept repeating to myself. “Regret” I said. “He ate himself up alive” I repeated. “He just willed himself to die”. “There was nothing I could do.”